Make Her Stay
by laurapreponfan
Summary: Piper Chapman asks Alex Vause, the person she hates the most, to be her pretend girlfriend for a weekend. Vauseman A/U
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

I know I suck so much at updating so I apologize to those still waiting for Like We Used To new chapter. I'm trying to work on that at the moment.

But I really just _had_ to write this. And anyway, don't worry about this being abandoned because I've finished writing the whole thing. This will just be a short one. I hope you like it.

-o-o-o-

 **1**

"So let me be clear, you want _me_ , a raging hot and tattoed lesbian, maybe a bit of an asshole, to pretend to be _your_ girlfriend, a WASPy blonde chick, to your perfect, white boy, too good for this cruel world brother's wedding? Are you fucking with me?"

"What? No, why would I—"

"You hate me. How the fuck would you make your family believe that you like me when you can't even stand to be under the same space with me?"

"I majored in Theater, I can be a good actress."

"Seriously?"

"Wh—That's... you know what, never mind. I'm just gonna—"

"Why me?"

"What?"

"Out of all people you know, why pick me?"

For a second, Piper didn't know how to respond. Not because she didn't know the reason but because she didn't know how to tell Alex what it was without her getting totally offended to not agree with this.

Not that she cared whether Alex Vause got offended or not. She just really _needed_ her to agree.

"Just tell me one good reason and I'm in."

Alex was looking at her intently and Piper hated how it was making her uncomfortable. This was the longest time she had been in this close proximity to Alex in a long while and it was taking all her self-control not to scream out how much this person actually _irritated_ her.

"I'm waiting."

 _Fuck it._ "It's just... ever since, my whole life has been planned for me. Be a good daughter, a good student, go to college, get a decent job, get married to the perfect guy. And all my life I've done everything they wanted me to do. And none of it was still enough."

For a second, Piper was surprised with how easy she blurted that out, especially to someone she disliked with so much passion. But then she realized she's been holding this grudge against her parents for so long that she just needed to let it out before she combusted.

Unaware of the thoughts running through her mind, Piper saw Alex cock an eyebrow before she spoke.

"So this is an act of rebellion. That since they don't appreciate you for the person that you are and for everything that you're capable of, you're gonna give them the exact opposite of the daughter they expect you to be. So you chose me, because I'm the worst person they could ever dream for you."

"That's not—"

"It's okay, I'm not offended. As a matter of fact, I'm impressed. I didn't think you had the balls."

As much as it was annoying Piper how much Alex had already cut her while speaking, she was surprised to hear this from her. She hadn't, in her life, ever thought that _the_ Alex Vause, the person who thought that she was the best person in the whole goddamned world, the cockiest, biggest asshole she knew, would actually be _impressed_ by another human being other than herself.

"Okay, I'm in."

"What?"

"I'm gonna do it. I'll pretend to be your girlfriend for the weekend."

"You are?"

"Yes. Your parents are dicks for not appreciating you. I mean, I don't like you either, but even I can see that you're good at what you do. So yeah. Just tell me the time and place and I'll be there. See you tomorrow, Chapman."

-o-o-o-

"You did what?"

Piper's best friend's voice still rang in her ears, and to be honest Piper wasn't surprised. If there was one person, apart from Alex, who knew how much she disliked her office mate, it was Polly. So telling her what she'd done, that she _actually_ asked her to pretend to be her girlfriend for her brother's wedding, may have been a bit of a shock to her.

"Why the fuck would you do that? You _hate_ her, how in the world did you think you can actually make this work?"

"That's what she told me, too."

"Wow, I never thought I'd say this one day. But Supercunt actually has more sense than you."

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing okay. Yes, I hate her. Every time I see her, I just wanna slap that annoying smirk off her face. But I hate being the target of my mother's disappointing, god-awful pitying look more. I am _done_ , Pol. I am so tired of her shit and if she doesn't accept that this is who I am, and that I'm _actually_ happy about it, then I'm gonna give her a valid reason to actually think I'm a fuck up."

"Come on, you know she doesn't think that. She's just looking out for you." Piper gave Polly a look that says, 'Are you fucking kidding me' and in an instant Polly shook her head. "Who am I kidding, your mother is super intense and I'm not surprised if she disowns you after she meets Supercunt."

Piper sighed, knowing how right Polly might be. "So yeah, I'm willing to endure Vause's awful god complex for an entire weekend for this."

"Okay. So after that, what then? What do you get out of it? Your mom meets Alex, she hates you more for it, you give Alex the right to tell you that you owe her. How does that actually help you with your problem with your mother?"

"It doesn't. I just wanna piss her off."

"Wow, you hadn't thought this through, have you?"

"No. I really haven't."

-o-o-o-

Piper had gone to bed half an hour ago but she still felt very much awake. Thinking back to her and Polly's conversation, she was just now realizing how stupid her idea of asking Alex Vause to be her girlfriend was.

` She couldn't stand the woman. Ever since they met in the publishing company they worked at, the other person had been making her days a lot more unbearable by being, well, herself.

But okay, that wasn't exactly the truth.

Piper didn't _always_ hate Alex. That first time she met her, she was awfully attracted to her. She was _hot_ , she would give her that, and she had this aura about her that just drew people to her even without doing anything. And to her surprise, Alex seemed to be attracted to her, too. So they had gone out. _Once_.

Because as attractive as she was, she also had the personality that would make that jerk in high school you hated so much look like an angel. She was a major asshole, making Piper think that she was _lucky_ she chose to go out with her. She thought she was better than anyone at work, not receiving any _constructive_ criticism well.

But the thing that Piper hated the most about her was how much she treated women like toys, unable to stick to a girl for more than one quick fuck, (they didn't though, not that Piper minded,) thinking commitment was the greatest mistake one could ever make.

So yeah, after that date, they had pretty much fallen out, trying to ignore each other as much as they could, just so they would have a work place that they could bear. It wasn't _that_ hard, because after Piper had rejected Alex the next time she had asked her out, Alex seemed to have hated her guts too. Most probably for no other reason than her bruised ego.

But today had been different. Today, Piper had other plans.

She _chose_ to seek Alex, chose to go up to her, chose to talk to her. She chose to _ask_ her to be her girlfriend, for two days.

And Alex agreed.

And now Piper was having a crisis on how she could go to Alex again tomorrow to tell her that she had changed her mind knowing that by doing this, she would be _mocked_ by Alex again for sure, for not being able to stick to a decision for not even a whole 24 hours.

It was at that same moment that her phone lit up, signalling an incoming message. It was from an unknown number and Piper's eyebrows creased as she read it.

From: _Unknown Number_

So, lunch tomorrow?

Piper replied to the text not having any idea who it was.

 _P_ : Who is this?

 _UN_ : Only your hottest workmate.

At that response, Piper had figured out who it was and she couldn't help the eye roll that came with that realization.

 _P:_ Uh, Stella Carlin?

Piper disliked Stella Carlin, too. She was her Australian officemate, who was _almost_ as self-loving as Alex Vause was, but their lives had never really crossed for Piper to pay much attention to her. But she knew how much Alex hated it when Carlin was compared to her so she chose to reply with that.

 _A:_ Geez, Chapman. I didn't know you had such terrible taste in women.

 _P_ : I went out with you, how on earth are you just realizing that?

 _A_ : Ouch, kicking me where it hurts the most.

 _P_ : How did you get my number?

 _A_ : Nicky.

Alex and Piper also worked with Nicky Nichols, the only common friend the two had. She was actually Alex's best friend, but surprisingly Piper liked her. She was smug and sometimes crass but she was also charming and funny, qualities that Alex obviously lacked.

 _A:_ So? Lunch?

 _P_ : Why on earth would I wanna have lunch with you?

 _A:_ Because you need me for something, and I actually need details for it to work.

 _P_ : We don't need lunch for that. I can just text you the details.

 _A_ : Wow, you really hate me that much, huh?

 _A_ : But you know what, contrary to what you believe in, I can be a good person. And I know that we need to hang out at least once before your brother's wedding for your crazy plan to work.

 _A_ : So tomorrow, 12pm sharp at Joe's in front of that coffee shop you love so much. I'll wait for you. Good night, Chapman! Don't think about me too much ;)

"That fucking bitch!" Piper couldn't help but say to herself, getting worked up once again at how _irritating_ Alex Vause was. That's another thing that Piper hated about her. She didn't know how to accept a 'No' as it obviously punctured her inflated ego.

But Piper didn't give a crap about that and she didn't wanna have lunch with her so she'd let her wait all she wanted but Alex would be sitting in that restaurant alone tomorrow until her eyeballs would turn white.

Never mind her plan to piss her mother off. Alex was an asshole and it was time she got her back for it. She would totally deserve that.

-o-o-o-

"I think you forgot something."

"Jesus!" Piper exclaimed, too engrossed at what she was doing that she failed to notice that tall figure that was suddenly standing, and speaking, right behind her. "What the fuck, Alex?! You almost gave me a heart attack."

Instead of apologizing, Alex just chuckled as she shrugged nonchalantly, causing Piper's temper to rise once again. She also had this amused look on her face that pissed Piper off immensely. Come to think of it, anything Alex did annoyed Piper.

"Uh, I waited for you today."

"I told you we didn't need lunch for anything, I'm too busy for lunch," she answered without looking at Alex. "But, uh, since you're already here, I'm letting you know I changed my mind about it."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I don't need anything from you anymore. So you can go."

When no response came, Piper was forced to look behind her, to make sure whether Alex was still there. And she was, but she had this look that Piper couldn't recognize. She didn't look pissed or anything, but the smugness and amusement weren't there anymore.

But then she shrugged again, with a blank expression on her face. "Suit yourself, have fun at your brother's wedding." Alex turned her back on her only to face Piper again as soon as she did, "And just a little bit of an advice, if someone wants to genuinely help you about something, you should probably at least show a little gratefulness."

And as Alex walked away from her, Piper didn't know why but she suddenly felt bad, and that with these sudden turn of events, she had suddenly become the asshole.

-o-o-o-

Piper was tired. And she was sleepy. And she hadn't packed anything yet even if she was leaving tomorrow for her brother's wedding.

But it was raining. It was full on pouring and she had forgotten to bring an umbrella and hailing a cab was next to impossible but she had to try anyway if she wanted to be able to go home. So Piper was drenched, silently cursing her luck, or lack thereof, today.

If only her apartment was within a walking distance, she would have considered walking but it was too far and if she even tried Piper knew the only thing she would accomplish was getting hypothermia. So, she still waited for a miracle that a cab would suddenly stop right in front of her.

Five minutes later and she was close to giving up, but suddenly a silver car she didn't recognize stopped right in front of her. Piper waited, and the window of the passenger's seat rolled down, revealing the last person Piper was expecting to see today, Alex Vause.

"Get in!" she yelled from the inside, leaning towards the window as much as she could so Piper would hear her.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just gonna wait for a cab."

"Piper, you're soaking wet, and not in the way that I like, so just get the fuck in before you catch a cold or something," Alex said loudly, her voice almost impossible to hear from the loud rain.

"I said, I'm fine, Alex. Just go, you're making it impossible for a cab to actually stop in front of me."

"Jesus Christ, I know you hate me but I'm trying to be a good person here—"

But before she could speak another word, Piper started walking away. She knew she was being stupid, but she didn't want to owe Alex anything so she kept walking. But suddenly, a hand was circling her arm, pulling at her strongly but without really hurting her.

"What the fu—"

It was Alex, who was by now drenched from the rain, too, pulling her towards her car, and she was too strong for Piper to stop her.

"What are you doing?"

But Alex remained silent until she had, almost, forcefully pushed Piper inside her car, running towards the driver's seat after.

"Fuck!" she silently cursed when they were both seated inside as she tried to shake the water off of her, unsuccessfully. She was dripping. And if Piper felt bad about what happened between them during lunch, she felt 1000x worse now.

She still hadn't looked at Piper and it was making Piper feel even guiltier, even though she really hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't _force_ Alex to go out of her car.

And then suddenly she was removing her shirt, leaving her just in her lacy red bra and Piper found her throat going dry at the sight. Swallowing, she looked away as fast as she could, feeling herself shiver. She tried to convince herself it was from her wet clothes that was clinging to her like a second skin but she knew it was way more than that.

And Alex probably noticed because she suddenly spoke, causing Piper to look at her once again. "Are you okay?"

To say Piper was surprised was an understatement because Alex didn't _sound_ annoyed. In fact, she actually looked like she genuinely wanted to know if Piper was okay and she had never seen this side of her and to be honest, Piper was so convinced that she wasn't capable of showing anyone that she cared.

Well, she was completely wrong.

Guilt feeling reaching its peak now but it was only intensifying Piper's annoyance at the raven-haired because how dare her make her feel this way, she didn't ask for her help. She wasn't some damsel in distress that couldn't take care of herself.

"You don't wanna talk to me, right. Fine. You know what, if you really don't want my help, just go back out again, I don't give a fuck anymore."

Her voice was a little harsher now and gone was the Alex Vause that was always wearing a smug smirk or an irritating attitude. She really looked mightily pissed now and Piper hadn't expected to see so many emotions from her all in one day. Maybe she was reading Alex the wrong way all along.

"N-no," Piper finally managed to find her voice, but her teeth were almost clanking together from the cold. "Sorry, I'm fine." At that, Alex's features softened and Piper let out a sigh of relief.

"I think you should take off your shirt, or else you're gonna be sick." Alex probably noticed Piper's hesitation, "Jesus, I'm not gonna take advantage of you, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"No!" The word was out before Piper could stop it, "I don't think that. I'm just—" she then sighed, knowing Alex was right. So she took off her shirt, and immediately tried to cover herself after.

Shaking her head, Alex then reached at the back of her car, pulling a shirt that she then offered Piper. "That's unused."

"You don't have to—"

"Just take it."

At the finality of her tone, Piper had no choice but to grab the shirt and put it on. It was a little bigger than Piper's size but it smelled good and it felt comfortable. "Thank you."

Alex just nodded and Piper didn't know why but she suddenly wanted the cocky, asshole Alex back. This serious, unreadable version of her was making Piper uncomfortable and a little _scared._ "So where do you live?"

Piper softly answered and soon enough, Alex was driving silently, half naked and looking sexy as hell, not that Piper was staring. Suddenly, her phone rang, breaking the quietness inside the car apart from the downpour outside.

"Hello?" Piper answered, not realizing who had just called her.

"Piper, I have been trying to call you for the last hour. Have you forgotten how to be a decent human and actually answer calls or return missed ones?"

"Hi, Mother," Piper answered, and she wished her resigned and disappointed tone wasn't noticed. "Sorry, I was in the middle of something."

"Never mind, are you ready for tomorrow? You know you need to be here as early as you can. We have brunch with the Masons and you know very well I hate being late."

"I'll be there, Mom."

"And dress nicely, you don't want them thinking any less of you."

Piper didn't give a crap about what the Masons would think about her but as Alex was there and she didn't want her to hear her argue with her mother, she just decided to agree on everything her mom would say, breathing as deep as she could before she spoke.

"Noted."

"And also, before I forget, Larry Bloom is gonna be there."

"Who?"

"That young man you used to go out with back in college. I accidentally met her parents at one of the galas I attended the other day and I had to invite them to the wedding."

"Why would you do that? Danny doesn't even know them."

"Yes, but Piper, you're not getting any younger. And I remember him being this sweet young boy who always picked you up and brought you home. He's a writer for the New York Times now and I know it would be wonderful for you both to... reconnect."

"Reconnect? What are you—Mom, how many times do I have to tell you not to meddle in my dating life, my life? I am a grown up and I can make decisions for myself, Jesus!"

"Watch your tone with me, young lady."

"No, you have to listen to me, I don't wanna _reconnect_ with Larry, I don't want you choosing any man you think is good for me."

"If I won't do it, who else would? It's not like you're with anyone right now."

"And how sure are you that I'm not dating anyone at the moment?"

"Well, are you?"

"Yes, I am. You'll just have to wait and see tomorrow. Bye, Mother, I have to go," shaking from anger now, Piper turned her phone off and almost threw it inside her bag, forgetting that she was inside Alex's car. "Fuck!"

"Everything okay?" Alex's voice brought Piper back, making her realize just how mad she suddenly was.

"No, everything is not okay. I can't believe her! How does she do this, make me feel like I'm incapable of doing _anything_ good for myself?" Piper then sighed, realizing that she was ranting to someone she barely knew. "Fuck, sorry. I didn't mean to unload on you."

"It's okay. Rant all you want, it's not like I have anywhere to go," Alex's tone was joking now and Piper found herself calming down. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it was kinda hard not to. But did you just tell your mom that you were dating someone?"

At that, Piper realized her mistake, panic suddenly engulfing her because she did say that and she did imply she was gonna bring this non-existent person to the wedding. "Fuck."

Alex chuckled but it wasn't annoying so Piper had to look at her and it was the first time that Piper noticed that aside from her hotness, her face wasn't really bad to look at.

"You know I'm still willing to go with you if you want, right?"

"Ugh, you don't have to, Alex. I was such an asshole to you earlier—"

"Hey, if we're keeping count, I've been an asshole to you a whole lot more than that. So just consider this as payment, for making your work life more miserable than necessary."

"Are you sure? Coz you really don't have to."

"I want to. I badly wanna meet your Mom, she sounds like she could be fun."

At this, Piper chuckled, surprised yet again that she could actually enjoy Alex's company. She then thought of her dilemma again briefly, and realizing this is the only choice she had, she sighed as she nodded her head. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah."

"So... tomorrow then?"

"Yep, tomorrow. We have to be there by 9 o'clock because we can't be late for _brunch with the Masons_ ," she channelled her inner Carol Chapman as she said that last phrase, earning her a throaty laugh from Alex.

"I'll pick you up at 8 then."

"Okay," Piper then smiled, and it was the first genuine smile she had for the night. They drove a bit more until Alex was already parked in front of her apartment. "Uh, do you want your shirt back-" Piper said as she looked at Alex's naked upper half once again, unsure why she's suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

"No, don't worry about it, I can't believe I'm saying this but you actually look better in it than I do so just keep it."

"Are you sure, coz you're..." Piper gestured towards Alex's body and she felt heat spread across her cheeks, praying silently that Alex didn't notice. Sure, she probably still didn't like her but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to feel _certain things_ about her. She really was _attractive_ as hell.

"It's really fine, I'll be home soon anyway."

"Okay, if you insist. I'll just give it back tomorrow. I promise. Thanks, Alex."

Alex just nodded, wearing a wide-smile that made her look nothing like the woman that Piper despised so much. "Anytime, see you tomorrow."

-o-o-o-

 **A/N:**

Chapter 2 same day and same time next week. =)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

I am so overwhelmed by your response on the first chapter that I decided to post this sooner. But I feel like you're gonna be disappointed with this second one. Haha.

I originally intended for this to be a very long one-shot but decided on turning it into a short multi-chapter instead (4 or 5 chapters.) So it's not very detailed and you won't be reading much of what you're expecting to read (based on your reviews), so I apologize for that.

But anyway, I hope you'd like this anyway. Thank you again for your reviews and favourites and follows. They mean a lot!

 **2**

True to her words, Alex was leaning against her car in front of Piper's apartment at 8am sharp, looking like a magazine cover with her tight-fitting black v-neck shirt and her ripped jeans that was hugging her in all the right curves. Her aviator on top of her head made her look even better, how, Piper wasn't sure but for a moment she was glued to her spot just staring at Alex before the raven-haired noticed her presence.

"You ready to go?"

"No. Tell me why I'm doing this?" Alex then approached her, taking her bags from her as she put them inside the car's trunk. "Thanks," Piper said softly.

"You are doing this, because your brother is getting married and you're a good sister and so I can have free booze."

Alex then opened the passenger's door for Piper and she seemed to be doing this so naturally that Piper's guilt about hating her for the longest time came right up yet again. She's starting to _really_ think how much she had judged Alex and as true as some of what she thought about her were, there were also sides of Alex she didn't know before. And seeing them now, it was evident how quickly she had jumped to conclusions before about Alex not being a good person.

They then drove up to Northampton as they practiced some lies they were supposed to tell everyone, getting to know each other better as they did so. Piper learned that Alex lived alone, not because she _chose_ to do so but because she was an only daughter whose only family she had, being her Mom, had already passed away years ago.

It was obvious how much Alex's mother meant to her and Piper saw how unfair it all was that she still had her mom and they had the shittiest relationship and Alex, who in no doubt had a beautiful relationship with hers, already lost hers.

Alex was still smug, and she still wore that certain confidence that Piper always thought annoying. She still bragged about a lot of things, especially things she had done. But the difference was that Piper was seeing all of this in a different light now. It was just Alex being _Alex_ and she wasn't being this person because she wanted to boast about it but simply because it was just who she was.

"By the way," Alex spoke after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah?"

"Are there certain things I can and can't do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, with you. Can I hold your hand? Or kiss you in the cheek or... somewhere else without you going full ninja on me? How's that gonna work?"

"I don't care what you do, just make sure you make my mom as uncomfortable as she can be."

"Are you sure you can handle that?" Alex asked as she did that infuriating single eyebrow raise, her lips turning up into a shit-eating grin.

"Oh, please. You think I can't handle you?"

"Well, can you?"

"Try me."

"Okay. Your wish is my command, Princess," Alex then winked, causing Piper to shake her head but not without a smile. "I have to warn you, though."

"Hm?"

"You can't fall in-love with me."

If there was a humanly possible way that Piper's head could've whipped faster than it had so she could face Alex, she would've. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"It's just a friendly warning," Alex responded with a shrug.

"Geez, I don't know how you're still walking straight with that huge ego on you. But don't worry, honey, not a problem."

Piper laughed to herself thinking how impossible that seemed. But then again, was it really that impossible?

-o-o-o-

"Piper!" It was Piper's younger brother, Cal, who greeted them as Alex's car pulled up at the Chapmans' driveway.

"Cal, oh my God!" Piper exclaimed excitedly as she saw her brother, pulling him into a hug as soon as she got out of the car, Alex following behind her. "I honestly wasn't expecting to see you here. How did she convince you?"

"She didn't. It was Danny who went by my house and asked, practically begged, me to come. And who am I to say no to the favourite, the renowned doctor and the best Chapman the history has ever known?"

Piper chuckled at how painfully true this was, well, to her parents' eyes of course. "God, you just made my weekend better and it hasn't even started yet!" Piper then noticed that Cal's attention wasn't fully on her anymore, his eyes hesitantly moving from her to Alex. "Oh! Yeah," she grabbed Alex by the arm, encircling her hand on it gently. "Cal, I want you to meet Alex... my girlfriend. Al, this is my younger brother, Calvin."

Piper wasn't sure why but her heart thumped loudly against her chest at the introduction. She knew Cal wasn't the type of person who would judge anyone based on anything, but she still had this overwhelming fear that he would do that for the first time because she was _dating_ a girl.

Nervously, she waited for his reaction, hiding her nerves behind a fake smile.

"Pleasure to meet you," Cal extended his arm to shake Alex's hand, and if he was judging Piper (and Alex) his face showed no sign of it. He was smiling his usual goofy smile, and if Piper was correct, there was a trace of _impressed_ look on his face. "Although, please never call me Calvin, only my mother calls me that and it really brings back bad memories.

"Noted," Alex answered coolly, shaking Cal's hand in return. "And the pleasure is mine."

"Oh, fuck this," Cal then exclaimed, letting go of Alex's hand as soon as he got a hold of it. "Piper's never brought anyone home to a family gathering, so you're practically family now. Come here." And then surprising both Piper and Alex, she pulled the raven-haired into a big bear hug, tapping her back lightly before pulling away.

It was then that Piper found herself breathing properly again, feeling an overwhelming affection for her brother. She looked at Alex, who looked as giddy as she was, giving her a wink before looking back at Cal.

"Well that went better than expected, your sister here kept warning me about how this weekend was gonna go but she _definitely_ didn't tell me about how awesome it could be, too."

"Ugh, fair warning about Piper, she does tend to overdramatize things sometimes."

Alex then shuffled closer to Cal, fake whispering to his ear, loud enough so Piper could hear, too. "I know."

"Hey, stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Piper said with a fake irritation on her face, not long enough before she broke into a wide smile again. "Anyway, where's everyone?"

"Getting ready for the brunch. You should probably get settled before Carol goes into a fit about how we don't respect the essence of time enough. I'm guessing you're gonna share a room?"

Alex and Piper looked at each other and there was a teasing glint on Alex's eyes and Piper was sure what the raven-haired was seeing on hers was pure panic. "Yes, of course," she then responded when she realized Cal was actually waiting for an answer. "See you later?"

"See you! Alex, nice meeting you again. And better prepare yourself, you're about to face a hell of a shitstorm."

-o-o-o-

"Wow, your house is _that_ big that we didn't even see your parents on our way here," Alex observed as she and Piper reached the blonde's room.

But Piper almost didn't notice because for the first time today, she'd gone back to acting awkwardly around Alex again. It was probably the fact that she hadn't really thought this through to realize that they would of course be sharing a room, and obviously a bed because she didn't wanna be rude to ask Alex to sleep on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, and Piper was surprised because she didn't think Alex would actually notice.

"Yeah, I'm just... a little nervous."

"Because we're sharing a room?"

"No!" Piper answered too quickly, which made her answer all the more unconvincing.

"You do know I have no problem sleeping on the floor, right?"

"What? No, Alex. You're already doing me a favour, I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor."

"So, you're gonna sleep on the floor?"

"Wh—I'm not gonna..." Piper paused, seeing the serious look on Alex's face. All this time, she was thinking of how _she_ felt about sharing a bed with Alex, without even thinking that _Alex_ might not want to share a bed with her, too. "I mean, yeah. Yeah, I'll sleep on the floor."

It was then that Alex chuckled loudly, shaking her head as she looked at Piper, looking as if she was waiting for her to get the joke. "I'm just fucking with you, Jesus. I don't have a problem sharing a bed. Unless you do, of course."

"Fuck off," Piper felt herself relax once again, thankful that she was wrong in thinking that Alex would make this harder than it already was. Surprisingly since she asked her to do this, she's done nothing but make this _easier_. "And no, I don't have a problem with it. We can share a bed."

"Good."

"What is that look?"

"What look?"

"Don't act innocent."

"I'm not acting anything. Relax, Pipes, I promise to be on my best behaviour the entire weekend," pausing, Alex gave Piper a _look_ that surprisingly sent shivers down Piper's spine. "...unless you need me to be bad. Coz I can be that, too."

"I'm gonna go with 'best behaviour' thank you," Alex once again chuckled and Piper didn't think she'd seen Alex this _harmless_ until now. "So, you ready to meet the parents?"

"Oh, babe, I was born ready."

-o-o-o-

Piper didn't wanna admit it, not to anyone nor herself, but she was honestly nervous about Alex meeting her parents. She knew she did this to piss them off but she still had this irrational need to please everyone and she didn't know how she would handle them being massively furious at her because of this. But it was too late to back out and the only choice she had was to get through the weekend without wanting to blow her own head off.

So, when she heard her parents approaching where she and Alex stood, she absentmindedly gripped Alex's hand, probably harder than necessary. But Alex only squeezed her hand back as if reassuring her that everything was going to be fine.

And then her parents was right in front of them, her mother's gaze instantly moving towards her and Alex's joined hands.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," Piper let go of Alex's hand to hug both her parents. She could already see questions forming inside her mother's head but her Dad's face was impassive. It had always been harder to read him and right now, that was more frustrating than ever.

"Hi, sweetheart how long since you arrived?" asked her Dad.

"Short while," Piper moved back to Alex's side before holding on to her hand again. "Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Alex Vause. She's my girlfriend."

"Excuse me?"

Piper inwardly cringed at her mother's tone but was instantly replaced by her repressed _rebellion_ against her for questioning everything she did. "You heard me right mom."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. And Mrs. Chapman," Alex extended her arm and to Piper's relief, Bill, her father, took it with an obvious hesitance, but shook it nonetheless. Alex then turned to her mother but Carol ignored it leaving Alex with no choice but to pull her hand back.

"Piper, what kind of sick joke is this?"

"Carol," Bill said with a warning tone but of course, Carol ignored him.

"There is no joke here, Mother. There's only the reality that I have a girlfriend. I have a girlfriend that _I love_ and she's here with me right now."

Carol scoffed and Piper had to suppress an eye roll. "I refuse to accept this nonsense, Piper. Clearly, you're going through some childish phase and you're gonna get through it eventually –"

"Excuse me, Mrs. Chapman, not to be rude but I think your daughter is a smart woman and she's more than capable of knowing what she wants or not and I think it's time you acknowledge that."

"Who do you think you are telling me what to do?"

"Okay, that's enough!" Bill's voice could be heard all over the place. "We are all here to celebrate Danny's wedding for God's sake, so let's maybe try not to make this about us. Alex... can I call you Alex?" Alex gave Bill a curt nod before he continued, "I'm sorry for... this, but it's a pleasure meeting you. And Piper, if you're happy, we're happy. Now, can we all go to brunch, without trying to want to yell at each other?" He addressed the question more towards Piper and Carol.

"Thanks, Dad. And yeah, of course," Piper answered tightly.

Carol, on the other hand, just walked past Alex without saying a word, followed by Bill.

When both were out of earshot, Alex faced Piper. "You okay?"

"No, yeah I'm fine. I'm sorry she acted that way," Piper responded, already feeling very exhausted. This was honestly the reaction she was expecting, but it still stung and left her feeling more distant from her mother than ever.

"Nah, don't worry about it. You warned me. And I did say I love a challenge." Piper attempted a smile, but she was well aware that it only came out bleak. She looked at the floor trying to contain the anger that was again resurfacing when she felt Alex's fingers on her chin, using them to lift her face up. "Come on, cheer up. We still have two long days to piss your mother off."

With that, Piper finally managed to smile genuinely.

-o-o-o-

The brunch went better than Piper expected, more so because she knew her mother wouldn't dare make a scene in front of other people who she _always_ needed to pretend in front of. Pretend that everything in their family was perfect, that it was the kind everyone should envy.

Still, she didn't miss the daggers her mother's eyes kept shooting at her every time Alex would intentionally do _sweet_ things to and for her, like subtly feeding her or holding her hand when it was visible to everyone's eyes or really just looking at her the way a _loving_ girlfriend would look at her partner.

And to be honest, Piper _enjoyed_ all of it. Not only because of the fact that her mother was obviously beyond livid about it all and not being able to do anything about it, but she just really enjoyed Alex's attention. She even got to a point where she almost forgot this was all just an act, that Alex wasn't really her girlfriend and when this weekend was over, they would probably go back to the way they were, mere officemates who didn't give each other the time of day except when Alex would decide she had enough time to piss her off.

The day then passed by like a blur, the whole time spent on Danny's wedding preparations. Alex never left Piper's side, and surprisingly, that was what made the whole day more bearable and less tiring. She would always make stupid jokes that Piper _always_ laughed at, no matter how ridiculous they were, more for the fact that it was _Alex_ saying them and Piper wouldn't have ever imagined she had it in her to be this, well, ridiculous.

She also mingled well with the others, knowing the right thing to say and when to say them, making everyone believe that they were a couple without a sweat. And more than once that day, Piper thought that if she hadn't seen how Alex treated other women, and if she hadn't known how the raven-haired looked at _commitment_ , she would have thought that she'd make the perfect girlfriend.

If only some things weren't the way they were, or if she would change her mind about relationships, Alex would easily make some girl happy one day.

-o-o-o-

During the evening, there had been a small gathering inside the Chapman mansion to celebrate in advance the upcoming wedding of Danny Chapman. _Small_ , meaning it looked like half of America was invited and there were people Piper didn't even recognize and she was sure most of them were only invited to make the event look _bigger_ than it needed to be.

It was the first time this day that she had been separated from Alex because her mom insisted she met with the guests (the _without Alex_ didn't need to be said but it was obvious how that was what mattered the most to her mother.)

It wasn't even close to an hour yet and Piper was about ready to punch people in the face just for the sake of it. She was so done that she found herself thinking how just _seeing_ Alex would already make her feel better.

It was a surprising thought but she blamed her irritation towards her mother for it and refused to think it was anything more than that.

Thankfully, some god may have taken pity on her because before she knew it, she was walking towards Alex who looked more beautiful than she'd ever seen her, and also kind of _not_ sober. And before Piper could even speak, Alex was already her usual teasing self, but Piper found it hard to focus on that as she saw her mother shooting her daggers causing her irritation resurface again.

Maybe this, whatever she's doing with Alex made zero sense. She was doing it for nothing and there really was no point in continuing it anymore because no matter what she did, her mom would find a flaw in everything she did anyway, in everything she _was._ So why bother making it worse when it seemed like she had already reached the peak of being her mother's disappointment anyway?

"You know what Alex, just go. I can't... I can't do this. I'm—thank you for trying but I can't do this. So I need you to just leave, okay. I'm sorry. Please. Just... just go home."

"Hey, I was just messing around. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's not you."

Alex's face was pure concern and it somehow melted Piper's anger. "Did something else happen?"

"My mother happened," she said, feeling more exhausted than she's ever been not just this week but her whole damn life.

"Well then, fuck her. I mean, you brought me here, didn't you? You brought me here to make a statement. To let her know that you're not who she thinks you are or who she wants you to be. But that's okay. Who cares about what she thinks? Or what others think? What matters is that you know who you are, you know what you're capable of and that's more than what anyone has ever thought of you, your mother especially. You are so much better than what she's trying to turn you into. No one has the right to ever tell you how to live your life, Pipes. Not even your parents. So just live it the way you want to. Trust me, you're doing just fine."

Piper was almost left speechless as she let Alex's words sunk in. She felt so touched by it that her heart felt like it wanted to burst out of her chest just for pure gratitude. And it was at that point that she had decided to completely throw the _old Alex_ she knew out the window because the Alex that was stood right in front of her, this was the _real_ Alex and the one worth knowing.

"Alex, that's—thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Hey, whatever gives me free booze and a roof over my head for the night," Alex just shrugged, soft light streaming against her and it made her look utterly soft and beautiful that Piper's cheeks started hurting from smiling too much.

"Oh fuck off." She lightly pushed Alex's shoulder, as they both chuckled, Piper feeling lighter than she was just minutes ago.

"I'm kidding. But seriously, you're all right, okay? Don't let her get to you."

Unable to figure out the right words to say, Piper just nodded as she mutter a soft "Thank you."

"You're welcome. So, am I allowed to stay?"

For a while, Piper just looked at Alex, and she was aware that she only meant to stay _for the night._ But somehow, as Alex looked straight back to her eyes, Piper finally felt that _click_ that totally changed whatever direction this weekend she had originally planned.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can stay."

Yes, Piper wanted Alex to stay. And she wanted her to stay for good.

-o-o-o-

It was almost midnight when Alex and Piper decided to go to bed. Alex has had more drinks than Piper but surprisingly, she looked a lot more sober than Piper was expecting her to be. Piper, on the other hand, was between being sober enough to know what she's doing and drunk enough to _not_ care what it was.

She had taken a shower right before Alex and she was finally settled on the bed when Alex came out of the bathroom, wearing the white robe that Piper gave her. Piper's throat was suddenly dry as she took in Alex's appearance, with her wet hair and robe slightly open, revealing a generous amount of her chest.

When Piper found enough strength to tear her eyes away from _that,_ her eyes travelled upwards to find Alex's sexy smirk, her eyebrow raised, looking at Piper like she _knew_ what the blonde was thinking right at that moment.

"See something you like?"

And God help her, Piper had to look away, much to her disappointment, because she didn't want Alex to know what she was thinking, she didn't want Alex to know that just looking at her like that was making Piper feel so many things she shouldn't be feeling... most especially at the lower region of her body.

"Nope." If Piper could move faster, she would have, as she stood to make her way to the bathroom. How was it possible that she was already sweating when she just got out of the damn shower?

"Need a cold shower again?"

"Shut up, Alex."

Piper could hear Alex's laugh and she could feel the heat on her cheeks. She stayed inside the bathroom longer than necessary, hoping that her breathing would have gone back to normal before she could go back out.

 _"Damn it, Piper. She's not even doing anything!"_ she whispered to herself, inhaling deeply before walking out of the bathroom. But that proved to have been useless because as she saw Alex still standing where she was when she left her, her breathing had gone back to how it was again.

Because Alex was staring at her. And as Piper tried to stare back, she realized that she wasn't alone in feeling whatever this was, because Alex's emerald green eyes had turned dark with something that made Piper's heart beat so fast she felt like her chest was gonna bruise.

Slowly, Alex walked towards her, her eyes still not leaving Piper's and gone was the teasing smile that she was sporting just a few minutes ago. It was replaced by this intense gaze that could melt anyone who's at the other end of it like it was melting Piper now.

And before Piper could speak, Alex was standing right in front of her, leaving almost no space she could feel Alex's warm breath against her face. "Tell me to walk away and I will."

 _And that voice._ That fucking voice that was pure sex was what _finally_ made Piper realize that she wanted this, she wanted _Alex_ and she wanted Alex to fuck her brains out, to make her forget how awful this night almost turned.

She _needed_ it so bad it was making her knees weak.

So she didn't tell her to walk away. Didn't tell her anything at all, just let her heart beat even faster than it already was, just let Alex's presence consume her.

But maybe Alex confused her silence with hesitance because she spoke again, this time her voice an octave lower and Piper didn't know it was possible to feel _so much_ just by hearing someone's voice. "I know you feel it, too. Don't fight it, Pipes." Slowly, Alex raised her hand, gently running her fingertips through Piper's hair. "Let me make you feel good." Before Piper could even feel it, Alex had withdrawn her arm once again.

As the last word came out of Alex's mouth, she tugged at the knot securing her robe, untangling it leaving the last piece of clothing she had wide ope. And as slowly as she could, the taller woman's fingers grazed at her own body starting from her stomach, travelling upwards towards the middle of her chest, only stopping when she had the fabric of the robe in her own hand.

As she did this, Piper's eyes followed the direction her hand was taking, swallowing unsubtly as Alex pushed the robe off of her, letting it slide down to pool around her feet, leaving her in nothing but her own skin, droplets of water from her still wet hair the only other thing Piper could see.

But Piper's eyes weren't on those little things. They were glued to Alex's breasts and she was fighting so damn hard not to cup them with her own hands, just to know if they'd feel good as they looked.

"Now, do _you_ like what you see?"

It was only then that Piper was finally taken out of the trance that Alex's glorious naked body had put her, realizing that Alex was waiting for her to make a decision. So she looked at her and gathered everything she could to speak without trembling.

"Shut up and just _fucking_ kiss me."

-o-o-o-

 **A/N:**

 **Shout out to these amazing people.**

iwishiwasunderstood11, Guest (ooooo this is good), Guest (this is nice), baustahlgewebe, FFChik, dali14, Pc. . , moanzs, ejm137, Guest (great start!), Sarah, Guest (Love it), mielsita, Guest (Nooo!), Guest (Awesome!), Guest (Yes!), Librarybook, Guest week (Next week), NatAttack16, Guest (Omg this is brilliant), Guest (Amazing!), Guest (Oh no!), Pickypflu, RJVause, WB79, Guest (Excited to read), Helena's Mangos, Guest (please please please), cakedinmud, Guest (hellooo), fangirl9278


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

You never fail to overwhelm me with your responses to these fic. I think the number of reviews I got last chapter was the most I've gotten on a chapter since I started posting here on ff, so thank you so much, I'm really so grateful =')

Also, I've gotten a lot of requests to make this fic longer but I really don't have much time to write nowadays, so my apologies. =( Anyway, here's another chapter. Again, I hope it doesn't disappoint.

 **DISCLAIMER: Characters not mine. =)**

-o-o-o-

 **3  
**

Piper woke up as the stream of sunlight hit her face, feeling an unfamiliar weight against her stomach. Rubbing her eyes with her hands harder than necessary, she let her mind adjust to the fact that she was already taken out of sleep. Surprisingly though, she felt lighter than usual, and it was only when she noticed the figure still sleeping peacefully beside her that she was _reminded_ why.

 _"Pipes?"_

 _"Yeah," Piper tried to speak in between moans, still feeling Alex's lips mark every inch of her skin. She had already come twice but Alex looked as if she had no plans of stopping unless Piper was dead. But if this was the way Piper would go, she would welcome it with open arms (and definitely open legs) because of how good Alex was making her feel._

 _Instead of answering, Alex's lips trailed downward from her jaw to the middle of her chest to her stomach causing Piper to close her eyes as she shivered under Alex's touch. Alex continued mapping Piper's body with her own mouth and as her tongue reached Piper's clit, making a swipe up motion, her fingers dug gently on the blonde's thighs, keeping them in place._

 _Then she stopped, causing Piper to whimper at the loss, disappointment engulfing her._

 _"Look at me," and so Piper did and she swore she could come just by looking at Alex's face. "This time, I want you to come in my mouth."_

 _And so her lips once again met Piper's center, making Piper feel a thousand emotions explode within her, until she was screaming Alex's name over and over again and until she was toppling over the edge once more, feeling more alive than she's ever felt._

As the memory hit Piper, she once again felt the familiar ache down her core causing her to squirm under Alex's arm. This was what woke Alex up, and Piper finally felt her nerves go crazy as she waited for Alex to register what was currently happening, waiting for her to _freak out_.

But that didn't happen, because when Alex's green eyes met with her own blue ones, there wasn't any hint of regret in them, no trace that she didn't want to be where she was at the moment. Piper felt her chest tighten at that _look,_ and whether it was a good thing or bad, she didn't have time to ponder over it because Alex was speaking and there was nothing else Piper wanted to do at the time but listen to her.

"Good morning, sunshine," she whispered with a beautiful smile on her face, disentangling herself from Piper.

"Good morning," Piper answered sheepishly, not knowing how she was supposed to act or where _this_ left her and Alex.

For a second, none spoke until Alex chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully at her. "Geez, relax. You don't have to look like you wanna be swallowed whole by the ground right now."

"That's not—"

"Piper, last night was _amazing_ but I'm not gonna force you to do something that you don't wanna do, okay? If you want that to be just a one-time thing, it's fine. If not, I would _love_ to do it again. But right now, I just want you to focus on your brother's wedding and just have fun. Deal?"

With this, Piper found herself relaxing as her lips finally curved into a smile. "Deal."

-o-o-o-

"So, ready for the first day of the rest of your lives?" Piper asked her brother, Danny, as they were waiting for the ceremony to start. The oldest Chapman sibling had chosen to have a garden wedding in their own home which was big enough for a few guests. It was a hard-fought fight between him and Carol but in the end, the fact that he was the _favourite_ caused her to agree to it eventually.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready, but to hell with it, we're all here now aren't we?"

"You're unbelievable," Piper said as she shook her head, but not without a grin plastered on her face. She and Danny hadn't really been close growing up but she still felt a deep affection for her brother. "I'm really happy for you, Danny," they hugged briefly before pulling apart.

"Thanks, Pipe... You know, I haven't told you this, but I'm really happy for you, too."

"What, what do you mean?"

"Your girlfriend? I mean, just to have the balls to introduce her to Mom and Dad, I'm already happy for you about that. But to actually be with someone who's obviously really in-love with you, that's just amazing. Don't fuck it up."

To say Piper was shocked to hear this from her brother, someone whom she's never had this kind of conversation with yet up until now, was already an understatement itself. But to hear him say something like _that_ , was on another level.

She knew Alex had been acting her part really well since they had arrived but she wasn't aware that she's been _that_ good to be able to make Danny, the smartest person she knew, believe that she was _in-love_ with her.

Had she been missing something? Had she failed to notice anything that might suggest Alex wasn't just acting anymore?

But even then, even if Alex really had started to feel _something_ for her, it was kind of hard to think that it was something close to _love_. They had spent the entirety of their lives knowing each other hating each other and the only exception had been the last couple of days.

And then she remembered last night, the way Alex treated her, the way she touched her, the way she looked at her... up to when she woke up, when she looked like there was nothing else she would rather be doing than the exact same thing.

Had something really shifted between her and Alex within the last couple of days that Piper was choosing to ignore?

"Piper? Are you okay?"

"What? I mean, yes. Yeah, and thank you. I'm..." Piper paused, unsure of what to say. And then she realized she didn't have to _think_ about it at all. She only had to tell the truth. Smiling, she looked at her brother and told him sincerely, "She makes me happy."

"She better. Speaking of, where is she?"

"Oh yeah, I left her in our room to get ready and I think it's time to get her now. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Sis."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

Leaving Danny, Piper proceeded to her room. She knocked swiftly, not wanting to risk walking into Alex when she wasn't ready yet... which was a little weird since they'd already seen each other naked anyway.

 _"Come in."_

Walking in, Piper didn't realize she would turn out to be the one unprepared for what she was gonna see. Because standing right in front of her was an Alex she never thought she'd ever witness.

She was wearing a long flowy emerald green dress that accentuated her curves in all the right places, giving Piper just the right amount of cleavage. It perfectly matched her eyes and Piper didn't think she'd ever seen her officemate this _beautiful_. She looked magnificent and Piper found herself speechless at the sight.

"Do I look okay?" Alex asked with a bit of hesitance. "Is this something a Chapman's girlfriend would wear to a fancy wedding?"

"Alex, you look..."

"Please let the next word be a good adjective."

 _"Perfect,"_ Piper thought to herself but instead spoke a different word instead, something still suitable of Alex, without having to worry that it would be too much, "... beautiful."

And then Alex smiled, and she looked even more mesmerizing that Piper couldn't tear her eyes off of her. "Thanks, Pipes. Although, if we're talking beautiful, you should look at yourself in the mirror, because really..." Alex paused and looked as if she was taking Piper's whole appearance in, "you look amazing."

"Thank you."

For a while, the two of them just stood there, obviously aware of the sudden shift in their _relationship_ , knowing that they had gone past their apparent dislike for each other and moved on to something yet to be explained.

"You ready to go out there and have everyone drool over you?"

"Are you?" Alex's expression showed confusion at Piper's question. "Ready for them to drool over me?"

Chuckling, Alex shook her head as she stretched her arm to offer her hand to Piper. "I'm ready to be envied for having the most beautiful woman in the room in my arm. Let's go?"

Heart racing at Alex's words, Piper took Alex's hand as she smiled widely. "Yeah."

-o-o-o-

The wedding passed by without a single glitch, well, except when Danny uncharacteristically messed up his vows (not that this wasn't the first time he was making a vow, he really just rarely _messed up._ ) But other than that, Piper could say that it was a success.

Also unsurprisingly, Alex Vause was a good date. Despite the fact that she chose not to sit with Piper's family during the ceremony, whenever Piper would look at her, Alex was always, _always_ , looking back at her... ready with either a smile or a smirk. And this made Piper giddy, immensely.

It was only during the reception that Piper got to talk to Alex again and although this was against what her mom wanted, she didn't sit with the family and chose to be with Alex on another table instead.

"Pipes," Alex nudged Piper who was busy watching her brother and his wife, together with a few other couples, slow dancing to some jazz music.

"Yeah?"

"Come dance with me."

Alex was wearing _that_ smile again, so soft and gentle that made Piper wanna kiss her, that smile that she could never say no to, so she smiled back, and took the hand Alex had extended towards her.

Together, they walked to the dance floor and as Danny saw them approach, he nodded at Piper and gave a wink to Alex which Alex answered with an adorable shrug. It warmed Piper's heart to see them like this, and _not_ for the first time this weekend, she thought of how great it would be if this was all real.

As Alex took one of her hands and put one of hers on Piper's hip, the blonde put her free hand on her partner/officemate/friend/fake girlfriend's shoulder. Right exactly behind Alex was her parents' table and she could see her mother shooting glares and daggers at her but Piper was surprised to realize that at that moment, she really, truly didn't give a fuck.

All she cared about at that point was how good it felt that Alex was holding her, swaying to the music _with_ her. The music then changed to Norah Jones' own version of Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender and Piper didn't know why but suddenly all her feelings were magnified, flashing right in front of her.

 _Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go  
_ _You have made my life complete, and I love you so..._

Unaware of their surroundings, Piper then heard Alex whisper to her ear, "You look _really_ beautiful today, Pipes."

"You do know my mom can't hear you right now, right?"

"I know. But that doesn't change the fact that you're the most beautiful girl in the room."

Feeling her heart swell at the compliment, Piper closed her eyes and breathed Alex in as she drew herself closer to her. "Thank you, Alex."

"Anytime, kid."

 _Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled  
_ _For my darlin', I love you, and I always will..._

It was then that Piper pulled away from Alex so she could look at her, and once again, Alex was staring right back at her, into her sole to her very core. It was also at that time that she realized (and accepted) she may already have feelings for the other woman.

This entire weekend changed her entire view of Alex.

She now knew that the reason she may have despised Alex at the beginning was because she was the exact opposite of her regarding one thing. Piper had the tendency to _pretend_ when things got rough sometimes and it was a coping mechanism that she knew she had to change but didn't know how.

But Alex. Alex was always being herself with as much ease as possible, not giving a care in the world about what other people would think. And if Piper found that annoying before, she certainly saw it another way now. She was just being real, and that, for Piper, was one of the bravest things one person could do in her life.

And now that Piper had seen it, there was no way she could still deny the attraction, the _feelings_ she had towards this person she once disliked so much.

 _Love me tender, love me dear, tell me you are mine  
_ _I'll be yours through all the years, 'til the end of time_

In concept, this was good. Being with someone she liked, someone smart and sassy and gorgeous and way out of her league... and someone who effortlessly made her happy. But in reality, Piper Chapman was still Piper Chapman and although the idea of Alex Vause was _great_ , she was always gonna be the last person people expected her to go out with. And Piper was still not brave enough to go against this.

She could barely handle a weekend of pretending Alex was her girlfriend, how would she handle an infinite amount of days being with Alex _for real_?

So as much as it hurt her to walk away from whatever this was that she had with Alex, walk away before it even started, that was what she was gonna do.

 _Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfill  
_ _For my darling, I love you, and I always will..._

And as she felt the pain of what needed to be done, she pulled Alex close once again, finally hugging her properly, knowing full well that this may be the last time she would do so.

-o-o-o-

"Are you okay?" Alex asked Piper as the blonde sat opposite her on the semi-secluded table that she was sure Alex deliberately chose. It was almost midnight and there were fewer and fewer guests as time passed by but she knew that her pretend-girlfriend was already tired mingling with people as Piper dealt with the other guests.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just... feeling a little tired. You? I'm sorry for leaving you a while ago, sister duties. You must be tired, too."

"It's fine, Pipes. I feel great actually."

"Yeah? Why's that? Does Alex Vause secretly love weddings and is actually a romantic at heart?"

"Fuck off, no." Piper chuckled at the obvious look of offense on Alex's face. "I mean, no offense, but I don't really give a crap about the wedding."

"None taken. I actually can't wait for this to be over, too."

Alex then gently pushed her wine glass towards Piper and Piper was only glad to drink the whole thing in one gulp, feeling the exhaustion of the entire weekend on every bone in her body.

Both fell silent as they looked around, observing the guests talking and doing their own thing, unaware that at that exact moment, they were both feeling out of place, like they needed to be somewhere else, away from all these pretense.

"Pipes..." Alex spoke, and the way she did gave Piper the idea that they were about to have a serious talk and she immediately found herself getting nervous. She wasn't ready for this. She was feeling too many things and she suddenly wanted to just run away from this.

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna get out of here? Go somewhere... quiet?"

Piper knew she should say no if she wanted to avoid the inevitable conversation, but she looked at Alex's face and she had this look on her face that Piper just didn't wanna disappoint her by saying no. So in spite of her fear of what staying away from everyone, just the two of them, would bring, she silently nodded, standing as Alex offered her hand to her.

The blonde then took it and the warmth of Alex's hand immediately alleviated whatever fear was she was feeling, sighing in contentment.

But before they could leave, a familiar figure was suddenly standing right in front of them, the person she had managed to avoid the entire day. "Larry." Alex disentangled their hands and Piper felt a sense of disappointment at the loss.

"Hey, Piper. I'm glad I finally caught you. I've been looking for you since this morning."

Piper quickly looked at Alex and almost laughed at the raven-haired's face. Knowing her, she was probably judging Larry by now and she couldn't really blame her. _She_ was judging Larry, too.

"Larry, why did you come?"

Larry was obviously taken aback by the question, probably expecting a warmer welcome from his ex-girlfriend. But Piper has had enough acting today and she wasn't about to add another _act_ to it. She hated that Larry was here, hated that he didn't seem to think there was no more point in coming since they've been over years ago.

"Y-you're mother invited me." Piper raised an eyebrow, a trait that she'd mastered because of Alex. "And if I'm being honest, I really wanted to see you."

"What for?"

"I was hoping we could... give us another chance?" Larry sounded unsure, and Piper couldn't help but think, _'Alex is always so, so sure about herself.'_

This time, too, Alex made her presence obvious as she snickered softly, but loud enough for both Piper and Larry to hear. Larry looked annoyed at this but thankfully chose to stay silent, maybe waiting for Piper to say something instead.

But before Piper could say anything, she felt Alex behind her as she whispered in her ear. "I think this is a conversation you two should be having. I'll be in our room." Piper smiled weakly at her. "Nice to meet you, Barry."

Piper hid her face as she struggled to stop herself from laughing. And then when there were only the two of them left, she finally faced Larry. "Look Larry, we're over, okay? I'm sorry, I don't know what made you think that _I_ would want to give us another go, but I don't. I have a girlfriend now, and I'm happy and I really think you should just leave."

Piper should have felt guilty at the look of disappointment and hurt on Larry's face, but she wasn't. All she was feeling at that time was how much she just wanted to follow Alex and to just spend the rest of the night with her. She was about to walk past her ex-boyfriend when the latter spoke.

"She's not the right person for you, you know."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you, Piper. You like safe, security, something certain. And her? She's not that person. And know that deep inside, you already know that. Goodbye, Pipes. It was nice seeing you again."

And with that, it was Larry who walked away, leaving Piper feeling whiplashed as his words etched themselves inside her brain. He was right, and she knew it.

Suddenly, she didn't wanna face Alex anymore.

-o-o-o-

Instead of going straight to the room she shared with Alex, Piper went straight to the bar and drank until she was feeling the alcohol in her system. She knew Alex was waiting for her and was probably worried why she still hasn't come up. But she didn't know how to face her sober. She just needed something to make her a little braver than she felt. Because she knew that what she was about to do was something she might never be able to take back.

So when she saw Alex approach her, still wearing her dress, Piper felt so bad she had to take another shot to drown out her guilt.

"Well, someone looks like she's had a lot of fun... did Harry bore you _that_ much that you had to drink yourself to that point of drunkenness?" Alex was smiling and Piper felt that guilt crawl up her chest.

Alex didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve _her._

"You could say that," Piper said softly, unable to return Alex's smile.

"Is everything okay?" Alex then asked, sitting next to Piper with worry etched on her features.

And Piper kept thinking, she would never have someone else who would understand her this much, that would know something was wrong with just _one_ look. And yet she was about to throw this away, throw that one good thing this weekend brought.

"Everything's fine," Piper spoke, knowing full well that everything was _not_ fine. She suddenly felt like she wanted to throw up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"So, you're good to talk?"

Piper's heart started to beat faster and she hoped her voice didn't shake when she spoke. "Of course."

"Okay," Alex started as she, too, asked a drink for her own. "How did it go with Larry?"

"I think he now knows that coming here was a bad idea. And that there's a big chance this was the last time we were seeing each other."

"I'm proud of you."

"Yeah? And why's that?"

"Because once again, you've proven yourself that your mother is wrong about you. You're not the woman she thinks isn't capable of making decisions on her own. Huh, see?" Alex bumped their shoulders together and Piper found herself wanting to cry. "And not just that, this entire weekend, you've been nothing but brave. And I'm proud of that, too."

"Thanks Alex, you've been really great."

For a while, none of them spoke but the Alex shifted her body to be able to face Piper and right then, Piper knew it was the beginning of their end. She then took Piper's hand and fused their fingers together, her thumb making light circles on Piper's skin.

Piper looked at their hands that she felt just fit perfectly together as she waited for Alex to speak.

"Pipes, about last night... I know what I told you this morning, but I've had enough of fakeness this weekend that I just wanna be honest for once. I know I've been such an asshole the whole time we've known each other but I really like you and I'm sorry if I have such a shitty way of showing that. But I'm done... being an asshole I mean, and I'd really love to take you out... again, if you'd want to."

"Alex—"

"Look, I can feel it. I know you feel something for me, too. I'm not saying I'd be better than Larry, or whoever you once dated before me... but I could try. _We_ could try."

Piper wanted to say yes. Her heart was screaming at her, edging her to just forget about the rest of the world and do what Alex was asking of her, to give thema try. She really, _really_ wanted to.

But Alex was wrong about her. She wasn't brave. And she would never be.

"Al... You're really great, and I'd forever be grateful that you did this for me but I'm not—I just... I don't think I want to— you're wrong, I don't feel anything for you..." the words were like a venom to Piper, poisoning her each time she uttered a word, but she couldn't stop. Not now.

And by the look on Alex's face, a mix of hurt and _anger_ , Piper knew it was too late to take anything back.

Alex then shook her head, her face turning impassive.

"You know what, you're right. I mean... _fuck_ ," Alex chuckled but it was so hollow, Piper felt her eyes sting. She didn't know Alex was capable of showing her hurt but right now, it was all Piper could see and she hated herself so much for it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed anything. I mean... the reason you picked me to pretend as your girlfriend was because you think I'm the _worst_ person you can ever be with. _That's_ what you think of me. _That's_ what you feel towards me."

"Alex, that's not—"

"It's fine, Pipes. I knew what I was getting into before I came here. You don't have to worry about me. I get it. I'm sorry I even thought that this was-"

Alex then stopped talking, deciding to just stand instead. Piper felt helpless as she found no words good enough to tell Alex that it wasn't _her_ , that this was all because Piper was too much of a chicken shit to actually do what she wanted, for once.

"I'm sorry. Just forget I asked, okay? I should go get changed."

And as Alex disappeared from the crowd, Piper had finally felt her own hurt... because she might have just pushed away the only person who could see her for who she really was, that one person who had accepted the real her, and the first person who had made her feel something she had never felt her entire life.

-o-o-o-

"Hey," Piper was still at the bar, her earlier talk with Alex sobering her up. It was Cal, who looked surprisingly more sober than Piper.

"Hey," Piper said weakly, not really wanting to talk to anyone.

"Did you and Alex have a fight or something?"

"What, why?"

"Well, either that or you're just a shitty girlfriend for not even walking your girlfriend out the door before she leaves."

"Leaves?" Piper felt her heart pounding against her chest once more, but this time it was more because of pure panic. She knew she had pushed Alex away. But she didn't want her to leave... not just yet. "What do you mean, where is she?"

-o-o-o-

Piper found Alex just when she was about to open her car and she felt so relieved for catching her before she could leave. "So you're just gonna leave without saying goodbye?"

"Well, the wedding is over and I've done my part. Besides, it's not like we're not gonna see each other anymore. We work together. So what's the deal?"

Piper flinched at Alex's tone, she now looked so different from the woman who had been so gentle and playful with her before Piper turned everything between them turn to shit. She badly wanted to apologize, to tell her that everything she told her was a lie.

"Is there anything else?"

But no one could change overnight, so Piper was still stuck to that coward version of her, so instead of saying sorry, she decided to say something else. "I was wrong."

Alex looked surprised by this but she immediately turned her face to neutral again, looking as expressionless as Piper had never seen her before. "About?"

"About everything that I thought about you... I was wrong." Piper knew by then that if she didn't leave yet, she was surely gonna cry in front of Alex and she didn't deserve it, not when she was the one who's caused this pain between them. So slowly, she walked backwards, still looking Alex in her eyes. "Uh, thank you for doing this for me. See you at work."

And as she turned her back on her, Piper finally let her tears stain her cheeks.

-o-o-o-

 **A/N:**

What's Vauseman without the drama, right?

Shoutout to these people:

RJVause, baustahlgewebe, AECrecv8, FFChik, piccolover22, WB79, Sarah, mielsita, cakedinmud, Pc. . , NatAttack16, AV21, ejm137, phantomframe, L, Deboma, dexday, perryplatypus0, fangirl9278, Goddam Dryer, HotforVause, SeriouslyAwesome, Pickypflu, Librarybook, i'llstayawake, snidget20, Flyer, AndyTheOrc, and to the 14 guests who didn't leave nicknames

You guys are the real MVPs, I love you truly!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

Sorry this took longer than usual. I finally caved in and decided to make it a little longer hence the later update. Apologies for any mistakes, as well. Hope you like it! =)

 **DISCLAIMER:**

Characters not mine. =)

-o-o-o-

 **4**

Piper spent that night crying herself to sleep, not only because of how things ended up with Alex but because of the fact that after all that trouble she did, she'd only accomplished nothing but prove her mother right. It was a cruel realization, to know that she might never get out of the shadow that her mom had created for her. And what's worse is that because of this, she might not just lose herself, but also the people who had the potential of showing her what love really was.

Before all of this, before Alex even came to the picture, she was so certain that the person everyone saw when faced by her wasn't the real her. She was so convinced that her mother was wrong about her, that she was more than the person she thought she was.

But now, she wasn't so sure anymore. Was this really the wrong picture her mother had painted of her? Or was this the real Piper Chapman she just _refused_ to accept?

That night, Piper fell asleep with eyes that hurt, a heart that felt heavy, and a soul that was lonely. And in her dreams was a vague visual of a life with Alex Vause, something that truly represented her reality.

Because when she woke up the next day, she knew that a life with Alex Vause wasn't a life she'd probably experience ever again.

-o-o-o-

When Piper went to work, the very thing she wanted to do was to stay out of people's eyes as much as possible, doing everything not to draw attention to herself. If only there wasn't a deadline she needed to catch, she would've chosen to miss work. But life didn't stop just because she wasn't feeling like dealing with the world.

And so here she was.

There was only a slight chance she might run into Alex and for that, she wasn't sure if she was grateful or disappointed. She didn't know how to face her anymore after their last conversation. Alex hadn't tried to contact her in any way after she left so Piper didn't try to reach out to her as well, thinking this was what Alex needed.

For her to stay away.

But she also wanted to see her. She's gotten used to her presence that being _without_ her made Piper miss her immensely. She knew her day wouldn't feel complete without seeing Alex today. She wondered if this was how her day was going to be from now on.

So Piper decided to focus on her work, choosing to miss lunch to finish it. For a while, it worked. She hadn't thought of her mother. She hadn't given attention to her own thoughts that only suffocated her. She hadn't thought of _Alex_.

That was until Nicky announced her presence by surprising Piper from behind, causing the blonde to literally jump out of her seat, her hands clutching at her chest. "Jesus fucking Christ, Nicky! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Oh man, you should've seen your face!" Nicky said, bending slightly at the waist while she laughed at Piper's still shocked, and almost-scared, expression.

"Fuck you, seriously," Piper then noticed the glares her officemates were giving her so she smiled sheepishly at them, "Sorry," she said softly before looking back at Nicky and giving her bushy-haired, crazy friend her own glare.

"Geez, Chapman, you're extra uptight today."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I haven't seen you since this morning and I heard you also skipped lunch, so I just decided to drop by because I don't want you to miss my presence today."

Piper just rolled her eyes at this but managed to let out a small smile nonetheless.

"So, how'd the weekend go?"

"It was fine," Piper said briefly, not really in the mood to talk about the weekend, especially with Nicky, who was more Alex's best friend than hers. "Nicky, I appreciate you coming over to check on me but I really need to finish this by the end of the day," she said, refusing to look at Nicky, her eyes glued to her computer.

"Aha..." Nicky said in that tone that told Piper she wasn't done just yet.

Letting out a sigh, Piper finally faced Nicky who was wearing that infuriating smirk. "What?"

"What'd you do to Vause?"

"What?"

"I mean, I know most of the time, she has this broody persona going on and most of the time, it impresses me how much it attracts women. Don't ask me, I have no idea how she does it, too. But today, she's really bringing it to another level."

There was that guilt again, knowing she's the reason why Alex was probably having a bad day but Piper did her best to look impassive and unknowing of what Nicky was talking about.

"And since you're the last person she was with, I'm guessing it has something to do with you."

"Nicky, I didn't do anything."

"So maybe that's the problem?" Unable to pretend any longer, Piper let her shoulders drop as she put her palm on her forehead, her elbow on the table. "Take a break, Chapman. I have a feeling you really need it."

And with that, Piper was left alone once again.

-o-o-o-

Piper tried to go on with her life for the next two weeks. It wasn't easy. In fact, it was harder than she thought it would be especially after the day she saw Alex for the first time since her brother's wedding.

It was on a Thursday and she was running late and as she squeezed herself between the closing doors of the elevator, she failed to notice that there was only two other people inside. And of course, one of them was Alex.

Piper was breathing heavily at the time due to her running, but the moment her eyes met Alex's, she felt the air leave her lungs almost causing her to choke. Alex only said a soft 'Hey' to her and due to her surprise, Piper only managed a slight nod.

She didn't know it was possible to go from the version of them during the weekend to this blubbering mess around each other and it upset her immensely. From then on, she couldn't get Alex off her mind anymore no matter how hard she worked herself or how much she focused on other things.

Alex was in her mind during work.

She was in her mind when she ate.

She was in her mind before going to sleep.

She was in her mind even _in_ her sleep.

She was in her mind when she woke up.

She was everywhere and it was driving Piper crazy because she knew she had to do something, _anything_. But she didn't know what to do or even say, and it was frustrating her to her core.

She's seen Alex again only twice after that but both times, Alex didn't see her, or maybe she was just pretending she didn't see her. Piper couldn't really blame her because if it was the other way around, she would probably pretend like she couldn't see Alex, too.

That was what she was good at anyway, _pretending_.

But it was during the fourth time they saw each other again, that Piper knew there was no way she was still running away from this.

It was a Wednesday evening and Piper stayed at the office later than everyone to finish yet another work. She was so sure that she was already alone at the time. It was almost one in the morning after all. So her guard was down, a very rare occurrence nowadays because she was now always worried about running into Alex.

She was about to go out of their building but she made the mistake of looking to her side for no reason at all and there stood Alex in all her glory, looking like every bit of the goddess she was. And very unfortunately for Piper, she looked back at her at the same time.

It was like one of those movies where the two protagonists look at each other at the same time, cue romantic music in the background afterwards. Except this felt more like a suspense film to Piper, and as quiet as her whole surroundings were, the beating of her heart was loud.

She didn't know what made her do it. And she was sure she was going to regret it in the future but before she could stop herself, she was walking towards Alex, her steps almost wobbly but certain.

"Hey."

If Alex was surprised with this gesture, she didn't show it. She's been really good at making her face look impassive that Piper hadn't been able to read her since their last proper conversation. "Hey. It's late, what are you still doing here?"

"I can ask the same thing about you?"

"Well, I asked first," Alex shrugged.

Piper was unable to stop the small smile that formed on her lips. "I just had to finish something."

"...that can't wait 'til tomorrow?"

"You can say that. You?"

"I had to make up an excuse so Nicky wouldn't force me to... _hang out_ tonight. And then I figured, why not just make it real? At least I got some work done."

Piper just nodded feeling her nerves get the best of her. She's not really used to having small talks with Alex anymore. To be fair, they haven't had a small talk ever since they knew each other so this was actually new to her.

But then she remembered why she approached Alex in the first place so before she could chicken out again, she decided to finally speak. But what happened next wasn't something she was expecting _at all_.

"I'm sorry."

 _"Look, I'm sorry."_

Alex said it at the same time and Piper wasn't sure if she heard it right at first but then she saw Alex's face and that's when she realized that she did. Alex's face was painted with guilt and Piper had immediately recognized it because it was the same look she saw every time she would look at the mirror.

Every. Damn. Time.

"Wh-, Alex, why are you apologizing?"

"Because I've been such a dick to you. I guess, I mean, I realized that I'm not really good with rejections, which is shitty, and that I took it out on you, which is a whole lot shittier. And I should've apologized sooner, but again I'm a shitty person which means I let my pride take over. So I'm sorry... for all the _shittiness_."

At this, Piper felt warmth spread to her chest at the sincerity in Alex's voice and face. And then she felt even worse for making Alex feel this way.

"Alex, you didn't do anything wrong. This is on me. And I'm sorry... for what happened. And also I'm sorry, that I made you feel like there's anything you need to apologize for. Because there isn't. It's my fault."

"Pipes, it's not your fault for feeling what you feel. That's something you can't control. But I have control over the things that I do and shouldn't do. So here I am."

Piper then fell silent. At that point she wanted to tell Alex that what she was apologizing for was the fact that she lied to her about what she really felt. That she's made Alex feel terrible just because she was too coward to face people with her reality about Alex.

She wanted to tell her that Alex was wrong for apologizing. That Alex was wrong for thinking that Piper didn't feel the same way she did.

But she couldn't do that. Still.

"I should go," Alex's voice broke Piper out of her own thoughts. "Take care, Pipes. Good night."

And so once again, Piper watched Alex walk away with that hollow feeling, hating herself for not saying what she needed to say and for not making Alex stay.

-o-o-o-

That night, sleep had evaded Piper once again and completely. Instead, she spent the night tossing and turning, replaying her last conversation with Alex inside her head.

She tried to focus on Alex's face, etched the memory in her head, just in case it was the last time she was having her beautiful face that close to hers.

She remembered how her eyes spoke volumes and how her entire face and body seemed to contradict that, looking tense and reserved, as if telling Piper _'You're not allowed in anymore.'_

She remembered how her mouth looked when she talked to her and how it curved into an almost-forced smile. And then she tried to convince herself that she would always remember how her lips tasted, would always feel how her tongue moved against hers.

She tried to recall how Alex's hand barely moved that night, always kept at her side. It was so different from when she was using them to touch Piper in every possible way, making her feel a thousand emotions at once.

That night, what Piper wanted was to memorize everything with her conversation with Alex. But instead, all that happened was that the Alex she talked to wasn't the Alex she remembered, she wasn't the Alex that Piper _wanted_.

 _This_ wasn't what she wanted.

She wanted the old Alex back, the one who made her smile all the time, the woman who had made her laugh so effortlessly. She wanted the Alex who made her so damn happy it made everything else not matter.

-o-o-o-

She was late for work. She missed the incessant ringing of her alarm clock for the first time in as long as she could remember all because she couldn't stop thinking about Alex the night before. So here she was, running around her apartment already feeling so stressed when technically, her day hadn't even started yet.

Then her doorbell rang and for a few seconds, Piper just looked at her door, confused as to who would visit her at such an early hour.

And then it rang again, so as disoriented as she was, Piper ran towards her door and as she opened it, she felt her day become worse than it already was.

"Mom?"

"What are you doing? You look like you've been running a marathon... and _not_ in a healthy way."

Piper was forced to move out of the way as her mother invited herself in, walking straight to her apartment. "Mom, what are you doing here? I have to be at work—"

"You should've already been at work half an hour ago and yet here you are."

Piper sighed, clenching her fists at her irritation that was quickly surfacing. "Which is why you can't be here right now, I'm late and I have to go." Piper started walking around again, fixing what needed to be fixed before she had to leave for work. She was about to grab her bag when her mom spoke again, and what she said caught her off guard that she immediately stopped moving.

"So, this... Alex, doesn't pick you up to go to work? Don't you two work together?"

"We do. And no, she doesn't."

"What kind of _girlfriend_ is she if she can't even do a simple thing? _If_ this was a man, I am sure you wouldn't be panicking right now, worrying about being late, because he would have picked you up—"

"Mom! Will you... please, I am begging you, just _stop._ I don't need this right now. I have to go. If you wanna stay, you are free to do so, but I am leaving." So Piper walked to the door, walking past Carol who she knew was still looking at her intently.

"But!" Carol raised her voice, making Piper stop. "But she really does care for you... so I guess I can let that go. Because people aren't perfect, and she certainly isn't. But she cares for you and I think that's what should matter, and not whether she's a man or a woman.

"What? What are you—" If Piper wasn't expecting this visit from her mom, she certainly wasn't expecting for the visit to turn out this way. What her mother was saying was something she never thought she would ever tell her, _ever_.

"She came to me."

"She did what now?"

"The day before yesterday, she visited me, and made me realize that you're a grown woman, who can make decisions on your own, and who has to make mistakes on your own so you can learn in a much better way. And at first, I thought, who is this woman coming here expecting me to be okay with being told what to do and feel?"

Piper felt her heart beat faster as she waited for what would come out of her mom's mouth next. She knew it was something horrible once again, so she wanted to calm herself, because she didn't wanna end up lashing out at her mother.

But what she said next was the last thing Piper was expecting.

"And then I realized that it's a woman who really cares about you, someone who doesn't care about being judged for who she is just so I could accept you for who you are." Carol paused, looking like she's in pain as she talked, but was also sincere nonetheless.

"Mom-"

"Just... let me talk, Piper, okay? You know this is not easy for me. But I wanna try."

"Okay..."

"None of the men you used to date has ever tried to do that, they've only indulged me with whatever I wanted, not what _you_ needed. They're all spineless and cowards and they don't deserve you. But Alex... she does."

Piper swallowed, forcing herself not to cry, because it seemed that _finally_ , her mom had learned to accept that she couldn't always control her, that she also had a mind of her own, and she was capable of using it. All because of the person she just drove away and out of her life.

"So, I'm here... because I wanted you to know that." For a while, none of them spoke again, just processing what had just transpired. "To be honest, I came here at this hour because I wasn't expecting to see you. I guess a part of me still find it difficult to... accept things as they are."

"But you're trying. And that matters to me." At this, Piper's eyes began to sting, and she knew that at any second, she was going to start crying. "Mom, thank you. That... that means a lot to me. And I'm sorry, for throwing _that_ at you during Danny's wedding. It wasn't the right time and place, I know that now. And I'm sorry."

"Well, it did get us here, so maybe it _was_ the right time and place after all." Piper noticed that Carol was fighting her tears, too, and she knew that it was taking all her strength to do this because Carol Chapman didn't cry, especially in front of anyone.

Piper knew how difficult this was for her mom, and so she realized she at least deserved the truth. So as hard as it was, she decided to do just that.

"Alex is really not my girlfriend. I only asked her to pretend to be my girlfriend because I wanted to piss you off."

Surprisingly, Carol smiled. "I know that."

"What? You know? How—"

"I told you, she came to visit me."

"She told you?!"

"Yes. And I'm glad she did, because it's what made me know how she really feels about you. If she did it because you're together, then I would've probably thought she was only doing it because she wanted to be accepted into the family. But you're not together, and so coming to me wouldn't have benefited her in any way. She came to me for you and for you only."

"Then I'm sorry for lying."

Carol waved her hand as if dismissing Piper's apology. "You wouldn't have done that if it wasn't for me, anyway, so stop apologizing and just listen to what I have to say. Piper, you need to tell her the truth, about what you really feel—"

"What are you talking about, I don't—"

"Piper Elizabeth Chapman, I may have been a terrible mother but I am still a person with eyes, and the way you acted around her during that weekend, it's obvious that you feel for her the same way she feels for you. So I'm telling you now, you need to tell her or else I would be very mad because you would've had just given me an unnecessary stress during your brother's wedding."

To say Piper was stunned would be putting it lightly. This was not how she thought her day was going to start, and yet here she was, currently processing everything that her mother just told her.

"And this is not me once again telling you what to do. This is me telling you to do what you're afraid to do _because_ of me."

"Y-you're... you're really telling me to go confess to Alex how I feel? And not because you're dying or anything?" Carol rolled her eyes and for Piper, it was like seeing this whole other version of her mother she failed to see all those years. "Inappropriate, I know. But really?"

"Do you want me to take my blessing back because that would be so much easier for me—"

"No! No, I don't want you to take it back. Don't do that." Now in a hurry, Piper kissed and hugged her mom. "I have to go see Alex now, would you be okay here?"

"Yes. Go."

"Thank you, Mom. Really. I love you. Bye."

Piper then ran out of her door, and for the first time in her life, she felt happy that her mother had told her what to do. Because now, she had the courage to tell Alex how she really felt. And hopefully, she wasn't too late just yet.

-o-o-o-

Piper had been pacing back and forth in front of the elevator for quite a few minutes now and she was aware that she's already so damn late. But frankly, she didn't really care. She needed to talk to Alex and from what she's been told, she hasn't come in yet.

And she knew that if she stopped moving until Alex arrived, she would lose all the courage she's spent the past half an hour convincing herself she had.

Ten minutes later, and just as she was about to lose hope that Alex was coming in at all, she saw her tall, beautiful... _someone_ , and as soon as her eyes landed on hers, Piper purposefully strode towards her. The blonde was aware how cold her hands were but when she was close enough to Alex, she grabbed her hand and pulled her with her as she walked towards a more secluded area of the building.

"Piper, what the hell are you doing?" Alex asked, her voice filled with confusion.

But Piper decided not to answer until she was sure no one else was around them. Facing Alex, she let go of her hand and breathed deeply, preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"You're an asshole."

That wasn't what Piper was intending to say but thanks to her foot-in-mouth disease, she may have just fucked this up before even getting to her point.

"Wow," Alex said as she raised her eyebrows, adjusting her glasses in the process.

"Shut up, and just... let me talk for now, okay? Or else I'm not gonna say anything again. And I really... really wanna tell you."

"Okay..."

"You're an asshole. And you're annoying... sometimes. And you piss me off so, _so_ easily. Sometimes, one smirk and everything in me just... snaps."

And bless her, Alex actually _smirked_ at this and Piper had the sudden _want_ to kiss her so bad. But she wouldn't be able to do that unless she finished what she was supposed to say so she went on, ignoring the faster pace her heartbeat was taking.

"But you're also real. You're always true to what you feel and you never let anyone dictate to you what you should do or feel. You never let them stop you from being who you are. And I've always thought that that's what I hated most about you, but I was wrong.

Because that makes you the bravest person I know and getting to know you more, you've made it hard for me to see that you even have flaws because they make you so, so beautiful.

And I've probably fucked it up, _this_ , whatever there is... or was, between us... if there even _was_ one. But those reasons I said for asking you to pretend to be my girlfriend... I couldn't just let you think that that's what I think of you. I did, and I'm sorry for judging you even before I got to know you. But I don't think that anymore."

For a while, Alex didn't talk. She just looked at Piper as if figuring out if this was really happening, like she was waiting for the punch line, for Piper to take it all back. If she was being honest, Piper thought that she was gonna take it all back, too, go back to doing the safe way which was staying out of Alex's life.

But surprising herself for the nth time in days, add the fact that her mother was brave in front of her today, too, she stayed her ground and looked back at Alex telling her through her own eyes that _this_ was something that she meant, something that she didn't want Alex to forget.

"Wh—"

But she knew that eventually she would do or say something stupid. So before Alex could even form a word, Piper walked past her, leaving Alex with her mouth hanging open, endless possibilities of how this would affect them filling her mind.

The ball was back in Alex's court now, and after the pain Piper caused her, the least she could do was let her decide if this was still what she wanted, if _Piper_ was still who she wanted.

And now all Piper had to do was wait.

-o-o-o-

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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

Okay, I know I'm a terrible, terrible person for letting you wait this long for this chapter. I got distracted by another tv show and then I started working so I just couldn't find time to write. But then I have this holiday break and so I figured I should just wrap this up before anyone sends someone to hunt me down.

I was gonna make this a lot longer than this but work is giving me no time at all to write so I had to end this with this chapter. It might not be that satisfactory because it's very rushed so I'm really sorry. But it's the longest one yet and I know quantity doesn't trump quality but still. Haha. Also, apologies for the errors.

Thank you for all the follows and favourites and most especially the reviews. Consider this my Christmas gift to everyone, haha. Happy Holidays! I hope you have the most amazing time. =)

 **DISCLAIMER:**

Characters not mine.

-o-o-o-

 **5**

Piper had been in her desk for a few minutes but she still couldn't calm the hammering of her heart against her chest. She heard Alex call out to her while she was walking but she refused to look back at her, afraid that if she did, she would either take everything back, or walk back to her and kiss her senseless.

Either way, she didn't want to do any of those options.

Still feeling the rush of what she'd just done, she tried to will herself to finally start work. But before she could even do so, Alex was standing beside her, obviously with a purpose.

"Why did you tell me those things?"

Piper looked around, making sure they weren't catching anyone's attention. The last thing she needed right now was the hate of her workmates for disturbing them at work. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

"Al... Alex, we're at work, I can't do this right now."

"Then let's go."

"What?"

"Somewhere private. And _talk_."

"It's office hours—"

"And yet you didn't have a problem ambushing me downstairs to give me your little speech. Piper, let's go."

Realizing that Alex wasn't letting this go as easily as Piper hoped she would, she stood up and followed Alex to the comfort room. As soon as they got it, Alex locked the door and looked at Piper, with an intense but confused gaze that made Piper immensely nervous.

"So?"

"I told you, I don't kn—"

"Piper. For once... and I swear this is the last time I'm gonna ask you to do this... please, just be straight with me? Just... please?"

Looking at Alex, eyes filled with vulnerability Piper so rarely saw in her, Piper felt herself finally give in. "Because!"

She started pacing back and forth, all the while being followed by Alex's trail of sight.

"Because I got scared that I've lost you for not saying anything. And I realized... that if there's one thing I'm certain of at this point in my life..." Finally she stopped moving, and reluctantly looked Alex in the eyes, "...it's that I don't wanna lose you." But Alex's gaze was too much for Piper to handle so she looked away, unable to hold her stare any longer. "And before you say anything, I know that you're not mine to lose. But... I don't know."

"Look at me..."

Alex's tone made it seem more like a command than a request and Piper couldn't help but do as she was told. And she was met with Alex's intense stare that was so hypnotizing Piper didn't wanna look anywhere else. Even though there was something else that was there, something Piper saw as confusion and... _anger_.

"You don't lead people on, Piper. You don't make them think that you like them and then just walk away. You _don't_ do that." Alex's tone was sharp and it almost made Piper flinch. But she could still see the vulnerability in Alex's eyes that Piper rarely ever saw.

"Alex, that's not—that wasn't my intention. I wasn't trying to lead you on," there was an urgency in Piper's voice and she wasn't sure if Alex saw it but what came out of her mouth next was the last thing Piper thought she would hear today.

And boy, how it hurt.

"I'm dating someone."

"What?"

"I've known her even before you came to me for... for that favour. It was just sex, it was nothing. _She_ was nothing. That's not my thing, commitment, dating, I don't do that." Alex paused and Piper took that opportunity to swallow down the hurt that was still hammering against her chest.

"But then I met _you_ and you turned everything around. And then you rejected me and I got hurt. My ego got hurt. And so I went back to her and told her that this time, I'd try to be better, to be the person she wants me to be. I know we started for all the wrong reasons, me and her, and I came to her for all the wrong reasons. But I'm willing to try, and so is she."

This time, Piper couldn't really ignore the pain anymore. Because it was too late. _She_ was too late.

"And I can't... I can't just leave her all because you've come to the realization that you can't... what, you can't lose me? I'm sorry, Piper. That's so brave, _you're_ brave, really. I haven't changed any thought about that. But it's not... that's not- I'm sorry."

And with one last look at Piper, Alex turned her back on her and started walking away.

Then suddenly the memory of that night, the night when she just let Alex walk away from her without saying anything came flashing right in front of her face. She remembered how looking at Alex's back that night hurt. And it was gave her the energy to speak and say _something_ this time.

"No!"

Thankfully, Alex stopped and looked back at her once again, her forehead burrowed. "I'm sorry?"

"You can't—I can't just let you walk away from me again."

"Piper, didn't you hear what I just told you? I'm with someone now."

"Tell me that you feel for her even just half of what you feel for me... tell me, and then I'll let this go."

For a moment, Alex looked surprised, like she wasn't expecting Piper to put up a fight. To be honest, Piper would've thought that, too, had this happened weeks ago.

"That's... that's not the point."

"No. The point is, I've already had this amazing woman and I blew it. I've had this person who was willing to do for me so many things that no one has even _tried_ to think about doing for me. You've done things for me—" Piper paused, and shook her head as she felt her eyes sting.

"I've had _you_ and I drove you away all because I cared more for what other people would think of me than how I felt and how you felt. The point is I've had my chance with you and now, there's a huge chance that I've lost it."

Just _that_ thought broke Piper's heart just a little bit more and if she wasn't so keen on fighting for Alex this time, she would've walked away and just let her heart break until she couldn't feel anymore.

"But Alex, you taught me how to be brave. I know I'm doing this much, much later than I should have and I'm sorry that it took me a while to realize what I want to do, what I _need_ to do. But I'm here now, Al. And I wanna fight for you this time." Piper swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, threatening to choke her as she talked.

"So if there's even just one percent chance that I haven't completely lost you yet, then I'm not just gonna give up that easily. Not again. So no, you can't just walk away this quickly. I'm not gonna let you." She breathed deeply, afraid to ask the question she was suddenly so scared of the answer to.

"So... do I still have it? Do I still have that one percent chance?"

It felt like hours until Alex spoke and every second that the brunette chose _not_ to say anything, Piper felt her slip away from her grasp just a whole lot more. But she refused to break eye contact. She refused to give in to whatever fear she was feeling because whatever it was that was gonna happen, no matter how it ended, Alex was worth all of that.

"Damn it, Piper. You know that you have a whole lot more than a fucking percent chance," Alex said, looking exasperated but with the barest hint of smile on her lips.

And truthfully, it was all Piper needed. So she breathed a sigh of relief, unable to help the genuine smile that formed on her mouth, too. "Thank you."

Alex finally let out a brief smile before looking serious again. "But it still doesn't change the fact that I'm with someone else now." That, too, erased the smile on Piper's face. "Piper, if I just... if I just turn my back on her, then that would make me the same person you used to hate. And I don't wanna be that person anymore."

"Then I would ask you again," Piper slowly approached Alex, fighting the urge to run up to her and just hold her, "...do you feel for her even just half of what you feel for me?"

To Piper's surprise, Alex started meeting her steps, until there was barely an inch of space between them. And then she raised her arm to tuck a few strands of Piper's hair beneath her ear, leaving her hand to cup the blonde's face gently. "No," she then whispered, so softly that Piper barely heard it.

But she didn't need to hear it, she could see it in her eyes, could feel everything that Alex felt by that simple touch, and that intense gaze, Piper _could_ feel.

"Then wouldn't it be worse staying with her when you feel _that_ way?" This time, Piper placed her forehead against Alex's, her eyes closed, their noses grazing each other, their lips almost touching.

"Yeah..." Alex then moved her head slightly, her lips softly pressing against the side of Piper's mouth. Her other free hand had by now settled on Piper's hip, with Piper's hand over it, as if afraid that Alex would suddenly let go.

"Then Alex..." Piper whispered just as softly, dying to feel Alex completely, "please... I can't let you go again. So please... pick me."

But just when Piper thought that Alex was gonna say that she did pick her, the taller woman let go of her and took a step back. Piper felt her shoulder sag because _of course_ , Alex wouldn't do that. Why would she?

"Is that a no?" Alex then shook her head and Piper didn't know what it meant.

"Why didn't you say all this before? When things were a lot less complicated?"

"Because I was scared of what other people might think."

"And you're not scared now?"

"I still am, Alex. See, when you told me I was brave, you were wrong. I'm a fucking coward, okay? Or I was, I don't know. I can't do anything without thinking about what other people might think of me. I can't go on any day without wondering whether there's anyone who's judging me for a decision I made or if—" Piper paused coz she noticed that she was becoming overly emotional. "I am _so_ scared Alex because I really, really like you and I—"

But then Alex's lips were on hers, swallowing anything she was about to say, her fears, and her worries, leaving her with only relief for finally, _finally_ , feeling Alex again. Alex did pick her. Their mouths moved against each other as if they hadn't spent the last few weeks trying to get rid of the memories of the last time they kissed.

And then sooner than Piper would've liked, the kiss ended but only for Alex to still hold her, her touch so gentle and smooth. She kissed her on her temple and when Piper couldn't bear the small space between them any longer, she wrapped her arms around Alex as tightly as she could, burying her head against her collarbone.

"I really, really like you, too, okay? And of course I pick you. I just gave you that freaking melodramatic speech about leading people on and I'd be a hypocrite if I did it to someone else. So today, right after work, I'm gonna go straight to her and tell her the truth. And then I'm gonna go to you and maybe, finally, we can start properly this time. Or continue, I don't know, whatever." She lifted Piper's chin up so they could look at each other's eyes. "Okay?"

"Okay."

Alex again smiled and Piper thought she'd never seen her look more beautiful. She then brought their lips together again before enveloping Piper's body with her arms, her lips pressed against the side of Piper's head.

And so they stayed like that until they both realized they had to go back to work before people would notice they were missing. So they did.

And as Piper started working again, Piper realized that it was the lightest she's felt in a really long time. That this was how it felt like to be brave. That this was what it felt like to finally be who she really was.

-o-o-o-

Without admitting it to herself, Piper's was freaking out. Right after work, Alex sent her a text about meeting that _girl,_ whoever she was, to finally do what they decided earlier. And that she was gonna meet her immediately after.

She knew she should trust Alex to do what she told her she'd do. But what she didn't trust was her luck. What if something else came up that could stop Alex from doing what she needed to do? What if this didn't work out the way Piper hoped it would. What if she and Alex really weren't meant to be—

But before her brain could lead her to even darker thoughts, she heard a soft knock against her door and she almost ran to it, if only her legs weren't so wobbly from her nerves... and the alcohol she'd been consuming for over an hour now.

She then opened the door to the unsurprisingly gorgeous Alex, who was sporting a confident smirk, her arm raised with three plastic roses in her hand.

"Those for me?" Piper asked sheepishly, her cheeks blushing at the gesture she knew Alex wasn't really used to doing.

"Yep."

"Plastic roses? Really?"

"Plastic roses don't die," Alex defended herself, shrugging.

"Yeah, because they're not real."

"You want me to take them back?"

"No," Piper immediately snatched the flowers, causing Alex to chuckle and it was the most beautiful sound Piper heard. "You came," she then said, aware of how she sounded.

Alex cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow at Piper. "You didn't think I would come?"

Piper, who finally had the thought to let Alex in, immediately shook her head as she looked at Alex. "No! No, I knew you would. I just... I don't know, I didn't wanna get my hopes up..."

Feeling her cheeks burn realizing she sounded so clingy, Piper looked at her feet as if they were the most interesting things in the world. But then she felt Alex's fingers lift her chin up and she was met with an amused face and a huge grin.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Maybe."

Alex's smile then widened even more. "You should've waited for me."

Not wanting to sound so needy, but also not being able to help herself, Piper blurted out the question that's been bugging her for a while now. "Did you do it?"

Alex nodded before she answered. "I did. It went better than I thought. Turns out, I'm not the one she needs either."

Piper's smile was so wide her cheeks started to hurt. "So we're good?"

"We really are."

And finally, Alex brought their lips together, and Piper felt herself sigh at how much she needed this. The things Alex made her feel were out of this world and she couldn't wait until they could do so much more.

But right now, this was enough. Alex in her arms was enough. Just knowing Alex was here, _with her_ , was enough.

"You still scared?" Alex asked, and her voice was so gentle and Piper knew that whatever she felt for Alex was gonna be something that could destroy her if she handled it the wrong way. And so she silently made a vow to herself that this was something she would work on really hard, because it was something that had the potential of being so much more.

But it was too early to let Alex know that. So for now, she was going to keep it to herself.

"Kind of."

"You don't have to be scared, Pipes," Piper heard Alex whisper, her voice so beautifully raspy. "I mean, I don't know what I'm doing, too, and there's a huge chance I might do something you'd hate or something that would fuck this up..." Alex then paused and all Piper could hear was the soft beating of her heart. Slowly, Alex disentangled herself from Piper but only so she could look Piper in the eyes, "Okay, so you probably _should_ be scared," Alex shrugged adorably and Piper couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. "But I am, too. So maybe we can just be scared... _together_?"

"You're willing to take that risk? That one day I might wake up and tell myself, 'Okay, I really can't do this' and just bail on you?"

"We take risks every time we do something, Pipes. Otherwise the reward isn't just worth it. And besides, you'd be waking up next to me, I would have already done something that would distract you before you could even tell yourself that."

"Like?"

Alex then held Piper's face gently, kissing her on her jaw, "Like this..." Her lips then travelled further down, and Piper craned her neck lightly giving Alex an access to kiss her there, "...and this." She then bit her lightly, not to leave a mark, but enough to send shivers down Piper's spine, at the same time her hands rested on the blonde's ass, giving it a not-so-subtle squeeze, "and that."

Piper's senses were so heightened now and she had to do everything she could not to just rip her and Alex's clothes right there and then. Instead, she closed her eyes feeling every bit of everything Alex was giving her. "Yes, that would be very... _distracting_."

Pulling away with a smile on her face, Alex tucked Piper's hair behind her ear. "So? Do you wanna do this? Are you willing to take a chance on us, fuck everyone else and their opinions?"

"Yes, yes I think I am." Then realizing she wasn't that satisfied with her answer, she shook her head lightly and look Alex in the eye, wanting to let her know that she was in this, for real this time. "I _know_ I am."

Not willing to take the risk of Alex thinking she still had doubts, Piper pressed her lips against Alex's, giving everything to that kiss, letting Alex know what she felt through that kiss.

And as Alex kissed her back, she knew she understood her.

Piper couldn't help but smile into the kiss, feeling grateful and so, so happy that she and Alex had this second chance. And she knew with everything that she had that this time, she was gonna do everything she could to make Alex stay, every minute of every day if needed be.

-o-o-o-

Alex had been spending almost two hours trying to decorate the damn Christmas tree and she knew that she was trying _hard_. She had hated doing this since she was a kid because she really couldn't give a single fuck but Piper insisted that this was her _job_ for the upcoming holiday. So even though it was against her own will, she did what she's been told thinking that it's not really decorating the tree that was the job, but _making Piper happy_.

And besides, making Piper happy didn't even feel like a job. It was what it was and Alex loved doing it. Seeing Piper happy was all that really mattered anyway.

But seeing as she wasn't making any progress (Piper had _specifically_ instructed her to make the tree look pleasing to the eye so she couldn't just put whatever wherever), with the tree still looking like garbage, she threw the Christmas ball she was holding out of frustration.

And also nerves for what she was planning to do tonight.

"Jesus Christ, I thought Christmas was supposed to make people happy," Nicky, who had gotten inside Alex and Piper's house without asking for any permission again, said incredulously, seeing the disgruntled look on her best friend. "The fuck is wrong with you? Did you and Chapman have a fight?"

"No. But this fucking tree is giving me a headache. Can I just burn it and tell Piper you accidentally put it on fire?"

"Sure, you can. But we both know Piper won't believe you knowing that I am a very careful person who hasn't put anyone in danger yet, _ever_."

Alex chuckled and shook her head at the memory of Nicky trying to cook her girlfriend breakfast and ended up burning down almost half her kitchen, which ended up in her and everyone else to make Nicky swear she'd never touch any part of her kitchen ever again.

"Why are you doing this by the way? Wasn't Piper the one who decorated your tree last year?"

"Exactly the reason why it's my turn this year. According to her, I never do anything. Which of course is bullshit because I always do the cooking which she seems to forget every time."

"That's because instead of her eating the food, she eats you instead."

"Ha! I should tell her that."

"Oh come on, stop being such a grumpy asshole. Gimme that," Nicky extended her arm to Alex as she stood beside the tree, studying it.

Alex looked at Nicky like she couldn't believe what just happened, and reluctantly handed her the decors she was holding. "Uh, what are you planning to do? I was kidding about setting the tree on fire, you do know that, right?"

"Fuck off, do you want my help or not?"

Alex was still looking at Nicky sceptically but left with no choice, she just let her do whatever it was that she was planning to do. She stood up and gathered two bottles of beer before handing one to Nicky and plopping down on the couch.

"So, you really decided not to give each other gifts this year?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"I'm giving her my presence as her gift every day, what more does she want?"

"Asshole," Nicky chuckled causing Alex to laugh with her.

"Where is she anyway?" asked Nicky again, as she started hanging the decors on the tree, with Alex watching with curiosity.

"Still at work. Which is just good timing that she has to work today, gave me time to do the things I had to do."

"So, you're really doing it, huh?"

Instead of answering, Alex just gave Nicky a smile. And as her best friend worked on the tree while Alex watched, Alex couldn't help but think back to the past two years of her life. Even after all that happened, there was still a part of her that couldn't believe just how _far_ she and Piper had gotten.

After Piper had finally made peace with who she was, leaving her past behind and went on to create a new future with Alex, it was just pure bliss from that point on. Alex had said she loved Piper almost just a month into their relationship, getting an easy _"I love you, too,"_ from the blonde in return, with an extra three hours in bed worshipping each other's bodies as if it was the first time they were doing so.

About eight more months later, Alex had asked Piper to move in with her, even though they were basically living together, just without the formality. And now, here they were, more than two years into their relationship, more in-love with each other, and much, much more secure about that feeling.

And Alex had _never_ been happier.

It was almost two hours later when Nicky finished their tree, just in time for her to leave before Piper would arrive and realize Alex made Nicky do all the work. She didn't need Piper mad at her right now. As a matter of fact, she needed to be in her best behaviour if she wanted the night to turn out the way she wanted it to be.

"Hey, you did our tree!" Piper said happily as she saw the tree, giving Alex a chaste kiss before inspecting the tree that Alex, well, didn't actually do.

Alex just shrugged, feeling the nerves that was settling on her stomach. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I know I promised we'd eat together but the guys at the office wouldn't let me go 'til I ate with them," Piper looked so guilty that Alex couldn't help but kiss away the small pout on her lips.

"It's fine, Pipes. Why don't you go change so you can come sit with me while I eat after?"

"Okay, I'll be quick," Piper once again kissed Alex before walking towards their bed and it was then that Alex knew she was gonna throw up.

She counted inside her head, waiting for Piper's reaction. And then she heard it, the faint, "Alex?" coming from Piper from inside their bed. And so as slowly as she could, she followed her girlfriend inside, hoping to all gods out there that she wouldn't fuck this up.

"So..."

Piper spun around at hearing Alex's voice. "Wh-what's this?"

The light wasn't on but the whole place was lit up with Christmas lights and some candles all over the room. Plastered all over the wall on one side of their bedroom were pictures of them together, all taken from Piper's brother's wedding up until their 2nd anniversary. There were a lot of pictures but Alex felt like they weren't enough. She needed more memories with Piper, needed more time to be with her.

"I know you think that I hate doing grand gestures, that I'm more into plastic roses than a bouquet of flowers, more into staying in with pizza and beer than going out into fancy restaurants. And yet, you've never once made me feel that you hate that about me. You've never made me feel like you hate any disgusting or annoying thing that I do and I love that so much about you.

I love so many things about you that I can't even put it into words. You're so much better at that than I am. But I hope you know that despite that, despite not being able to be _that_ good at telling you or sometimes showing you how I feel, I hope you know that I love you, so, so much."

If it wasn't semi-dark, Alex would've seen the tears that were now forming on Piper's eyes. But she was too focused on the intensity of her love for the woman in front of her that she couldn't notice anything else than how much she loved her and how much she wanted to spend every waking second with her.

"So... this isn't even close to a grand gesture, but I tried," she shrugged and it made Piper smile even brighter. "I put up all these photos, I'm pretty sure there's still so much more I haven't been able to put there but I just wanted to show you where we started and how far we've come," Alex was nervous, she could feel the hammering of her heart against her chest, but she couldn't stop now, not when she was so close to asking that question that's been bugging her for the longest time.

"But you see, the other three walls don't have anything... because I want more with you, Pipes. I want more photos at the beach, or at any restaurant, or anywhere else really, as long as you're there. I want more photos of you just looking so beautiful no matter what you're doing... I want more. And I really hope that you'd give me a chance to be _more_ with you."

Bringing Alex's hand to her back pocket, she then brought out the jewelry box that's been burning her ass cheek since she put it there. Slowly, she walked towards Piper as she opened it to reveal a beautiful engagement ring, the diamond at the center not that big but Alex knew would look really good on Piper's wedding ring finger.

"You once asked me if you had one percent chance that you still haven't lost me... so now, it's my turn to ask if I also have that one percent chance that... that I'd have you for the rest of my life as my _wife_?"

For a moment, Piper couldn't talk. She had her hand to her mouth, as if stifling the sobs that were obviously threatening to come out of her as tears suddenly sprung out of her eyes.

But then she looked at Alex, and in her eyes were nothing but adoration and love, and Alex felt her smile widen at the unspoken answer.

Piper kissed her hard before nodding her head vigorously, "Yes, yes you have it, Alex. I'd be your wife. I wanna be your wife. I wanna be _more_ with you, too. Yes!" Piper exclaimed happily as she once again kissed Alex, this time a lot harder and longer, both their arms wrapped around each other.

Piper then let Alex put the finger on her ring and she's never felt happier than she was at that moment. She didn't know it was possible to feel this much bliss but ever since she's met Alex, she's made so many _impossible_ things turn the other way around more than she could count.

And as they both looked at the finger that was sporting the symbol of their promise to stay together for the rest of their lives, they knew that this was gonna be their best Christmas yet.

And ironically, despite their no-gift pact this year, they had actually gotten the best gifts of their lives right now.

Each other.

-o-o-o-

 **A/N:**

This might be the last time I'd be posting on this site for a while. I'd really miss interacting with all of you. But thanks again for all the love 3

*signing off*


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